Kerala woman’s death in Sharjah: Dubai company sacks Indian expat husband

Dubai: A Dubai-based building contracting company on Monday sacked an Indian expat whose wife was found dead in Sharjah on Saturday.

Speaking to Gulf News, a senior HR manager of the company said the firm issued a letter of termination to Satheesh Sivasankara Pillai, a site engineer with the company, following the death of his wife, Athulya Sekhar.

“We took the action based on the media reports about a case registered against him in Kerala and circumstantial evidence of his violent and abusive behaviour in videos that appeared online,” the manager said.

The termination letter, a copy of which has been seen by Gulf News, stated: "This is to inform you that your services are hereby terminated with immediate effect for your apparent involvement in your wife's death... owing to your violent physical & mental harassment to her which is a criminal offense in UAE, and based on the circumstantial evidences and the clippings of your violent treatment to her as shown by the print & visual media and as reported by the relatives of your wife."

The manager said the company has zero tolerance for such employees and had not intervened earlier as nobody was aware of such behaviour by Satheesh.

“We were shocked to see the videos that she had shared with her family, in which he is physically abusing and mentally harassing her.”

He added that Satheesh had joined the company just a year ago.

As reported by Gulf News on Sunday, Athulya’s parents have filed a complaint against Satheesh accusing him of various charges.

According to The New Indian Express, he has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These include Section 85 (abetment of suicide of a woman), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt using a dangerous weapon), Section 118(1) (wrongful restraint or confinement) Section 103(1) (cruelty by husband or his relatives).

He also faces charges under Section 3 and Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, which penalise both the giving/taking of dowry and its unlawful demand, the report said.

Athulya’s sister and brother-in-law in Sharjah told Gulf News on Sunday that they would also be filing a case against him in the UAE.

According to them, she was found dead early on Saturday, her 30th birthday and the day she was supposed to start a new job at a mall in Sharjah.

Meanwhile, speaking to Malayalam media outlets in the UAE on Sunday, Athulya’s husband had denied any involvement in her death, though he admitted to having physically abused her in the past.

He claimed he was not at home when the incident occurred. He also alleged that Athulya had been increasingly distant in recent months, adding that she had started sleeping separately and had even undergone an abortion back home in November last year without his consent.

Gulf News is awaiting a comment from Sharjah Police on the investigation into the case.